Out of state Laws and regulations

[Kristian]

Hello and thank you for taking a second to read my question.

I just moved to florida from the state of new jersey. I still have my place of residence in nj so my license, registration and insurance are still legal and being paid for with this address.

I own a motorcycle, its a 2009 kawasaki and it has been legally inspected and passed in the state of new jersey as well. I know that for instance in florida it is legal to have passenger and driver tinted windows, but in new jersey this is illegal. But if the car has florida plates and is in the state of new jersey said car can not be sited a ticket for this.

My bike has not be altered since it has been inspected, my inspection sticker is up to date and on my license plate. I was pulled over a few days ago by an police officer and was issued a ticket for "obscured tag" due to the location/mounting of my plate. He also informed me that this was the only reason why I was being stopped.

Now my question...

I have no problem paying a ticket to not cause problems, but legally in any way am I allowed to keep the location of my plate and not be issued a ticket for it any more?

[Citicop]

Hello and thank you for taking a second to read my question.

I just moved to florida from the state of new jersey. I still have my place of residence in nj so my license, registration and insurance are still legal and being paid for with this address.

I own a motorcycle, its a 2009 kawasaki and it has been legally inspected and passed in the state of new jersey as well. I know that for instance in florida it is legal to have passenger and driver tinted windows, but in new jersey this is illegal. But if the car has florida plates and is in the state of new jersey said car can not be sited a ticket for this.

My bike has not be altered since it has been inspected, my inspection sticker is up to date and on my license plate. I was pulled over a few days ago by an police officer and was issued a ticket for "obscured tag" due to the location/mounting of my plate. He also informed me that this was the only reason why I was being stopped.

Now my question...

I have no problem paying a ticket to not cause problems, but legally in any way am I allowed to keep the location of my plate and not be issued a ticket for it any more?

Kristan-

Welcome to the forum!

You have been misinformed by someone.

If you are in Florida, and the law says you cannot tint the windows of your car, you can be cited and convicted of breaking this law no matter where your car is registered or what the law is there. You are responsible for knowing the laws of wherever you are and following them. The police, on the other hand, have no responsibility for knowing what the law is in all fifty states and enforcing the laws of those states outside their borders.

If your plate is in a position such that it is not visible while you are driving, you are subject to being stopped and ticketed again regardless of the status of your inspection in another state. (In my state, an inspection does not even take into account license plate visibility. It is for safety issues only.)

There is no magic wand that will prevent another ticket for the same violation in the future if you choose not to correct it.

-Citicop.

[marinepilot]

Hello and thank you for taking a second to read my question.

I just moved to florida from the state of new jersey. I still have my place of residence in nj so my license, registration and insurance are still legal and being paid for with this address.

I own a motorcycle, its a 2009 kawasaki and it has been legally inspected and passed in the state of new jersey as well. I know that for instance in florida it is legal to have passenger and driver tinted windows, but in new jersey this is illegal. But if the car has florida plates and is in the state of new jersey said car can not be sited a ticket for this.

My bike has not be altered since it has been inspected, my inspection sticker is up to date and on my license plate. I was pulled over a few days ago by an police officer and was issued a ticket for "obscured tag" due to the location/mounting of my plate. He also informed me that this was the only reason why I was being stopped.

Now my question...

I have no problem paying a ticket to not cause problems, but legally in any way am I allowed to keep the location of my plate and not be issued a ticket for it any more?

Kristian, first off, Welcome to RP from the Florida Panhandle! Glad you found our site and I hope you can find the info you're looking for. Also hope you stick around and really explore the space!

Now, a couple problems with your post. You state you moved here from NJ but you don't state what for? Are you coming to live here permanently? If so, you only have 30 days in which to change over your registration on your vehicle and your drivers license. So please don't think you can live here indefinitely with your current NJ plates and license. Now, if you're here as a student, that changes and I believe you're allowed to keep your NJ stuff as long as it's current with NJ. For instance, Florida doesn't require inspection stickers, but NJ might, so as long as you've got NJ plates, you'll need to keep that sticker current.

As for your motorcycle, again, no inspection sticker needed down here. As for the obscured tag, I can only imagine since you don't state what kind of Kawasaki it is (cruiser, crotch rocket, etc) where your tag is. (I know lots of people who have crotch rockets like to put their tag inside the back wheel well, all four corners bolted down, so the tag faces DOWN and not REARWARD.) But here in Florida if the tag is unreadable from a vehicle behind you, you're GOING to be stopped and cited for it, and it doesn't matter what state the tag is from.

The fine on that ticket rises as you get more and more of them, so, it would be in your best interests if you placed the tag in a place where it is CLEARLY READABLE by those behind you. As for the officer telling you that was the only reason you were being stopped, big deal, because you were breaking the law by having an obscured tag so the stop was completely legal and valid.

[marinepilot]

Here is the statute for motorcycle license plates: F.S.S. 316.2085(3)

(3) The license tag of a motorcycle or moped must be permanently affixed to the vehicle and may not be adjusted or capable of being flipped up. No device for or method of concealing or obscuring the legibility of the license tag of a motorcycle shall be installed or used. The license tag of a motorcycle or moped may be affixed horizontally to the ground so that the numbers and letters read from left to right. Alternatively, a license tag for a motorcycle or moped for which the numbers and letters read from top to bottom may be affixed perpendicularly to the ground, provided that the registered owner of the motorcycle or moped maintains a prepaid toll account in good standing and a transponder associated with the prepaid toll account is affixed to the motorcycle or moped.